Future of Kashmir

 

Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan for more than 50 years is cradled in the lap of mountains of Himalayas, is a Switzerland of East with carpets of saffron, a breath taking land where fruits grow in abundance, a place where water in many form is a charm and of course a valley which is another name of Paradise on Earth.

At least three wars have been fought over Kashmir by India and Pakistan. But the tragedy of conflict dates back to the history with the invasion of Mughal King Akbar, entrapping and imprisoning Yousaf Shah Chak, the King of Kashmir.

In 1752, came the Afghans at the end of the Mughal rule, which was later replaced by tyrannical Sikh rule in 1819 that lasted for 28 years.

In July 1931, Muslims rose against the tyranny and the Dogra rule when a hero named Abdul Qadeer inspired them. He was arrested later on and this month of July was followed by the rise of Sheikh Abdullah to the national prominence as a leader of Liberation movement.

In 1947, British rule in India ended with the creation of two new nations and hence the British suzerainty over the Princely States ended. Jammu and Kashmir, the largest princely state had a predominantly Muslim population with a Hindu ruler Maharajah Hari Singh. Pakistan was expecting Kashmir to be annexed to it on partition. Rumors of Maharaja's support to the annexation of Kashmir by India raised revolutionaries from the Western Kashmir and Pakistani tribesmen. 

An agreement of non-intervention had already been signed once by Pakistan and India. There are no strong evidence yet to prove that Pakistan was officially involved. Maharaja asked India to intervene but in exchange for receiving military aid India demanded the ceding of Jammu and Kashmir to it which was signed by Lord Mountbatten. The driving out of Pakistan resulted in the First Kashmir War that lasted until 1948 when India moved the issue to the UN Security Council.

In November 1948, the Indian and Pakistani government agreed to hold a Plebiscite but Pakistan did not withdraw their troop which was a condition for holding a plebiscite. In addition, India distanced the issue proposing that Pakistan should withdraw its troops first. Pakistan rejected it on the grounds that Kashmiris may not vote freely under Indian army. However proposal of simultaneous withdrawal of troops was being proposed by Pakistan, followed by a plebiscite which was rejected by India. 

The UN Security Council over the next several years passed four resolutions followed by 11 different proposals for demilitarization of the region. All were accepted by Pakistan and rejected by India.

Thus the insurgency in Kashmir has existed in various forms. Thousands of lives have been lost. Kashmir lags behind in most socio development indicators such as rate of literacy and employment. In a “Letter to American People” in 2002 written by Osama Bin Laden, he stated that one of the reasons he was fighting against America is its support to India on Kashmir’s issue.

Even after all this time, the Kashmir issue is still left unsolved and forgotten. 

For how long the whole world will remain silent and for how long the Kashmiris have to wait for Justice which seems nowhere?

It is a political problem that needs attention for they are humans like everyone else and for liberty and freedom is a right a human is born with. 

On 5^th February, I declare my Solidarity with Kashmir on humanitarian grounds.

Written by: Yamna Baig